Related Content

Officials said the fire was at the Laurel Hill Apartments on Balboa Drive.

Several crews were on scene and flames could be seen shooting through the roof of the triplex.

John Holladay said he got a call from his sister that her house was up in flames.

"She broke down, you know. She was watching her house burn down," Holladay said. "I'm from Baltimore city. I've seen plenty of big fires, but this is one of the biggest I've seen in Orlando."

Electrical boxes were also seen exploding as crews battled the flames.

A total of 28 firefighters and personnel were on the scene during the fire.

Two of the three units had heavy fire damage and the residents will not be able to return to their homes. The third unit had minor water and smoke damage and those residents will be able to return home at a later date.

Firefighters said the fire started in the middle unit, but the flames spread to the unit on its left.

"Our primary goal was to stop the spread of it to protect the areas that didn’t have any damage," said one firefighter.

In all, five adults and two children were affected by the fire. American Red Cross will assist all three families with temporary housing.

The State Fire Marshal will lead the investigation in determining the cause of the fire, but neighbors said it was a grill.

"There was a grill going out back, neighbors said that. There are people who said a grill was going out back and there was a pot on the stove at the time," said one firefighter. "Our crews did not report hearing any detector when they showed up."